Protect Your Heart
by heartseeker27
Summary: After Phantom Planet - Danny deals with returning to school after revealing his secret, as well as an enemy that threatens what he cares about most. DxS
1. Chapter 1

_Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt._ Danny Fenton's alarm rattled insistently until he found the will to drag himself into a sitting position and hit it off. Sunlight crept through his window as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and remembered what day it was. _Monday_. The first day of a brand new school year at Casper High. Nervous anticipation hit his gut as he wondered what it would be like to go back. The summer had been incredible. Well, at first it was just a whirlwind. After saving the world and revealing himself as half-ghost, Danny was whisked off to Washington. He endured endless interviews and insistent reporters, and worst of all he had to deal with the Guys in White. They were petitioning to have Danny committed to science – examined and tested and definitely locked up so he couldn't cause any more 'trouble.' Thankfully, the good ol' US Constitution held out in court. Danny couldn't be deprived of his liberties just because he was different. He would be held responsible for his own actions of course, and the use of his powers, but until he committed a crime, the halfa couldn't be subject to special regulations. Danny smiled as he tugged on his shirt, remembering the looks on the GiW's faces when their petition was dismissed. One of them had crushed his own sunglasses in rage, only to be immediately chided by his companions for ruining his uniform.

After a couple more appreciative ceremonies and special awards, interest in Danny Phantom died down. Sure, he was still famous – his fan club wrote him weekly and an eager young writer kept bugging Danny to let him write a biography – but he wasn't given constant attention or swarmed by reporters anymore. It was nice to be appreciated, but Danny couldn't be happier when he was finally out of the spotlight. That's why he had decided not to tell Amity Park when he was coming back. He entered the town while intangible, and phased right into his house. Of course he'd reveal himself if there was any sort of ghost threat he needed to handle, but his hometown was surprisingly quiet for that last month of summer. Maybe all the inhabitants of the ghost zone were giving him a break – after all, he saved their home from the disasteroid too. So Danny was able to lay low for that summer. He played video games with Tucker, helped his parents work on new ghost-hunting equipment, and best of all –

"Sam!" Danny rushed down the stairs and yanked open the door as soon as he heard the knock. He knew he'd find his girlfriend waiting for him, and he was not to be disappointed.

"Hey, stranger." She smiled up at him coyly and he pulled her in close for a kiss. Even after all the time they'd spent together as a couple, their electricity never stopped affecting Danny. One kiss in the doorway, and he felt like he was back in Antarctica, kissing Sam for the first time as arctic wind whipped around them, knowing that if he did die in the ghost zone, at least he'd have done this first.

"_Eh hem."_ Jazz cleared her throat purposefully, causing Sam and Danny to jump apart. She smiled at them knowingly, "think you could save that for the schoolyard? My little brother may be a hero, but I'm still not used to thinking of him as all grown up yet!"

"Jeez, Jazz, how about a little privacy?" Danny rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, as Sam turned a bright shade of pink. "Come on, Sam, let's get some breakfast." He grabbed her hand, and led her into the kitchen.

"So, are you nervous?" Sam said over cereal, as astute as always.

"Honestly, yeah. I mean it's not going to be… normal anymore. Everyone knows what I am. How will they react? What if everyone treats me like a freak?"

"Danny, are you kidding? Everyone's going to treat you like a hero!"

"That might be worse."

"True." She carried her empty bowl to the sink. "But just remember, it doesn't matter what they think. You'll always have me and Tuck, and whatever happens at school we can deal with together."

Danny smiled at her; Sam always knew just what to say. She came back to the table and he took her hand. "Yeah, I'll always have you." Sam blushed again, which widened Danny's grin. She always tried to be strong, but he loved that he could bring out this vulnerability in her.

"Danny…" she was hesitant, "you know nobody except for Tucker and your family know we're dating yet. Are you nervous about… I mean, what they'll think?"

"Didn't you _just_ tell me it doesn't matter what they think?" He quipped. "Don't tell me Samantha Manson is going to start worrying about what people say!" She scowled.

"_I'm_ not! They can say whatever they like as far as I'm concerned! I'm asking about _you_."

"No." Danny stood up. "This I want everyone to know. I'm not ashamed of how I feel for you, Sam." He saw her melt at his words. "Besides, everyone at school has called us 'lovebirds' for years! I'm sure they won't be surprised. _I_ was the clueless one, after all."

She impulsively leaned in and gave him a swift kiss. "Thank you." Danny leaned forward, hoping to extend the moment, but Sam laughed and pushed him off. "But we've got to go! If Tucker's late to school because of us, we'll never hear the end of it. We're supposed to meet him at his house in five minutes you know!"

He grinned, already feeling much better about the upcoming day. "Don't worry, I think I can get us there in time." And in a flash, Danny went ghost, scooped up Sam and phased them both right through the wall. Sam had never felt more content than she did as her boyfriend flew her over to Tucker's house.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey guys!" Tucker ran out of his house as he saw his two best friends approaching from the window. "Are you as excited as I am for today?"

"Are you kidding, Tuck?" Danny was surprised, "Since when is going back to school a good thing?"

"Danny, Danny, Danny" Tucker shook his head pityingly, "since I became Mayor and since everyone knows my best friend is Danny Phantom of course! How are the babes going to resist this smokin' piece of work now?" He grinned broadly at Danny who grinned back. Sam groaned.

"You have got to be kidding me." She rolled her eyes. "Why would you even want to be with a girl who only liked you for something like that?"

"Sam, leave me to my romantic worries and I'll leave you to yours," Tucker smirked mischievously, "you're the one who's going to be fighting off hoards of girls who'll all want to kill you for taking the Phantom off the market!"

"Like I'd let that happen!" Danny interjected.

"You may not have a choice, whelp." Danny, Sam, and Tucker all whipped around to face the booming voice.

"Skulker." Danny addressed the bounty hunter as he quickly went ghost. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you that I'd never stop hunting you." Skulker's bright green eyes flashed. "And you've finally shown a weakness."

"A weakness?" Danny scoffed. "You're wrong. I've been training – I'm stronger than ever!"

"You've developed a hole in your armor, ghost child." Skulker grinned and swung up a gun inhumanly fast. Danny instinctively dived away as the net shot towards him.

"HA!" Danny cried, "Missed me! You should work on your aim, _Hunter._"

"I wasn't aiming at you, whelp." Said Skulker as he flew down and collected his net, which held a struggling Sam. "You forgot to protect your heart!"

"SAM!" Fury clouded Danny's vision and balls of ectoplasmic energy came unbidden to his hands. "You have TEN SECONDS to let her go or I'll blast you out of the universe, Skulker!"

"Don't be rash, now." Skulker aimed a menacing looking weapon at Sam even as he locked eyes with Danny. "You wouldn't want my finger to slip and vaporize your little girlfriend, now would you?"

Danny shook with rage. "I'd destroy you in three seconds if you did."

"But _she'd_ still be gone wouldn't she?" Skulker let the weight of his statement sink in for a moment, watched the horror and fear set in on Danny. Then he tossed something at Danny's feet. "I'm reasonable, Daniel. I'm willing to accept a trade."

"A trade?" Danny picked up the object, which appeared to be glowing green handcuffs.

"You for her." Skulker's eyes were glued on the halfa and triumph played across his robotic face. "Those handcuffs will short out your ghost powers. Put them on and I'll let her go. You've avoided my capture long enough, come take your place in a cage in my zoo."

"Don't do it, Danny!" Tucker shouted "He's bluffing!"

Danny took a deep shuddering breath. "I…I can't take that risk, Tucker." He slowly opened the handcuffs, squared his shoulders and looked up at Skulker. "All right, Skulker. It's a dea-"

"-DANNY!" He locked eyes with Sam for just an instant before she swung her arm, fell through the net and plummeted towards the ground.

Danny didn't even need to think. His body reacted, and in a flash he was hurtling towards Sam far faster than he had ever moved before. Before the handcuffs he had dropped hit the floor, Danny's arms wrapped around Sam and stopped her fall.

"Nice catch, Danny, thanks." She said a little shakily, as he flew her over to Tucker and gently set her down.

"You two stay safe." Danny ordered, his attention fixed on "Skulker!" Danny relished the look of terror that was plastered across the bounty hunter's face. "You don't have your insurance now! Do you want to guess how this turns out?"

"Uhhhhh…" Skulker glanced around desperately for a route of escape, but before he could even take a step, Danny blasted him with an ectoplasmic ghost ray so powerful that Skulker's cyber suit was reduced to dust.

"My suit!" Skulker the tiny ghost blob shrieked. Before he could utter another word, however, Danny threw an intense blast of cold that froze the little creature solid. Finally, with a deep breath, Danny let loose a terrifying ghost wail. It slammed into the ice sculpture and sent it flying beyond the horizon.

"Holy…" Tucker managed as he and Sam rushed over to Danny, who was breathing heavily and beginning to calm down. "Dude, that was _incredible_!" Danny gave him a small smile, but quickly turned with concern towards his girlfriend.

"Sam, are you okay? Did he hurt you? How did you manage to get out of that!"

"I'm fine. Really." She assured him. "He was so focused on you, he wasn't even watching what I was doing. Luckily my grandmother gave me this for my birthday." She held up a small Swiss army knife. "It's got a tiny knife in it, and I was able to saw through the net. I guess he didn't want to waste an ecto-net on a human; it was just made of rope!"

"But weren't you scared that…? I mean, when you fell I-"

"I knew you'd catch me." She reached out and touched Danny's face tenderly. He covered her hand with his own.

"But what if I hadn't made it?"

"I knew you would, and you did."

"You couldn't have known, Sam! You could have been killed. Do you know what that would have done to me?" He gazed at her intently, trying to impress his point.

"Oh, so I should just have let you walk right into Skulker's zoo?" She pulled away in irritation. "Do you know what that would have done to _me? _You know I'm not some damsel in distress, Danny. Give me some credit!" She looked at Danny, and softened at the pain in his eyes. She went back to him and grasped his hand. "And I _did_ know you'd catch me. I trust you. You've never let me down."

"Yet." Danny amended. "What if I will, Sam?"

"You won't." She said simply and with the conviction that Danny loved her for. "And Danny…" she hesitated, a slight blush coloring her cheeks, "…what you were going to do for me back there. I mean… … thanks."

"Sam, I-"

"Hey guys…?" Tucker interrupted. "Not to break up your lovefest or anything, but if we don't run now, we're going to be seriously late for the first day of school."

Danny glanced at his watch. "Oh man. Well, I can cut down our travel time at least!" With that, he grabbed Sam and Tucker's hands and took off in the direction of Casper High.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the great reviews guys! It really means a lot, and is very encouraging. I'll try to update as often as I can!**

Red eyes glinted behind a tree as the ghost watched the trio fly off. His lip curled over his fangs in delight as he walked out from his hiding place and inspected the vacated battleground.

_ He is getting stronger._ The ghost thought, as he knelt down and let the ashes that were once Skulker's battle suit trail through his fingers. _But not smarter._ He couldn't help but let out a harsh barking laugh as he thought of how little prompting it took for Danny Phantom to reveal just how big his weakness was.

* * *

><p>Danny touched down on the steps of Casper High School just as the bell rang.<p>

"Aw, man! We're going to get detention on the first day." Tucker grumbled.

"Not if I can help it!" Danny grinned and grabbed his friends' hands again, turning intangible.

"Danny, wait! You're-" Sam was cut off as Danny yanked her and Tucker through the wall and flew them right into their classroom. He dropped everyone in their seats and tried to look nonchalant.

"Daniel Fenton!" Danny jolted up in his seat and faced a stern grimace from Mr. Lancer. "Would you and your little friends like to explain why you're late?"

"Late?" Danny replied innocently, as Sam rolled her eyes at his denseness. "We've been here the whole time, Mr. Lancer! How could we have made it to our seats otherwise?"

"Hmmm, how _could_ you have? Oh, wait, MAYBE YOU USED YOUR GHOST POWERS!" A vein stood out on Lancer's forehead.

"Oh…right, you know about those…" Danny smiled weakly, as Lancer dropped three slips on his desk.

"I'll see you three in detention, and Danny, I'd like to speak to you after class. Now if everyone would turn to page 42 in their text, we'll begin…" Danny slumped in his seat, and inwardly groaned. He had gotten his friends detention on the first day of school! And just because he was too dumb to remember that his powers were no longer a secret. Sam quietly passed him a note.

_Don't worry about it, Danny._ He read. _It'll take some time to adjust to having your secret out. _

_ Still, I wish I hadn't gotten you guys in trouble too. _He scribbled back.

_We would have been late anyway, remember? It's not a big deal._ She made eye contact with him and gave him an encouraging smile. He couldn't help but smile back. How could he have gone so long without realizing how much Sam meant to him? Feeling better, he settled in for a long class period of zoning out.

Danny was jolted out of his stupor by the end-of-class bell. While the rest of the class filed out, Danny trudged over to Lancer's desk.

"Daniel, we've all very grateful for what you did for the earth this summer, but you have to understand that we cannot tolerate you misusing your powers." Lancer looked at him sternly. "With your talents comes a responsibility, and I _thought_ it was one you took seriously, not one that you plan to abuse in order to avoid being late for class!" Danny winced. The remark stung, but it was true. He took being Danny Phantom very seriously, but as a 15-year-old boy it was difficult to avoid having _some_ fun with his skills when the opportunity arose.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lancer. You're right. I wasn't thinking. I was late this morning because I had to fight a ghost, but I shouldn't have snuck in." Mr. Lancer furrowed his brow.

"You were fighting a ghost?"

"Yeah, he sort of… well, he captured Sam, and I pretty much totally forgot about school until Tucker reminded me."

"Samantha was in danger?" Lancer sighed. "Danny, we can make certain allowances for you if you have an obligation to keep the town safe."

"Allowances?" Danny looked up, surprised.

"Of course." Lancer finally allowed a small smile. "You clearly have to get used to your secret being out, but everyone knows what you've been doing for us now. If you have to miss class or be late because of ghost fighting, we understand. You don't have to lie about it or try to trick us."

"Oh… I never thought about that."

"Clearly. I'll let you and your friends off the hook for detention this afternoon. But in the future, just be honest. And _please_ use the front door, will you?"

"Uh, sure, Mr. Lancer! Thanks!" Danny smiled and quickly left the room. He felt like a huge burden had been lifted – he didn't have to lie about hunting ghosts anymore! If he needed to leave class, he wouldn't get in trouble! This was definitely worth losing the freedom to pull pranks with his powers. Lancer had even told him to forget about detention – he couldn't wait to tell Sam and Tucker. Eager as he was to find them and tell them what Lancer had said, he didn't notice Paulina standing in front of him until he literally crashed into her.

"Oh man, I'm sorry Paulina!" Danny started to collect the books she had dropped.

"Why don't you watch where you're going you stupid-" She looked up and saw who had crashed into her. "Danny!" She squealed. "Don't be silly! It was my fault. I forget how… _attractive_ I can be sometimes." She sidled up close to him and gave him a seductive smile.

"Uhhh…" Danny couldn't quite think straight with her standing this close to him, but his first instinct was to get away. "It's uh… it's no problem – I mean, it's totally my fault. I'll just... I have to go." Her arm shot out and blocked his escape.

"You can't go yet! I've been wanting to talk to you…_ Inviso-Bill_" she gave him a lusty wink that only fueled his desire to escape.

"Ugh, it's Danny Phantom - Listen, I really have to go, can we talk later?" He tried to back away, but Paulina was swift to deter him again.

"You'd want to talk now if you knew what I had to say!" She flipped her hair over one shoulder and grabbed his hand. "You know I have feelings for Inviso-Bill, but I realized I have them for you too Danny! We belong together. Will you be my boyfriend?" She leaned in expectantly as Danny stumbled backwards, surprised by her forwardness.

"Holy…" He quickly pulled his hand away. "Look, Paulina, I'm really flattered, but I already have a girlfriend."

"WHAT?" Danny jumped as he realized just how many people were in the hallway and had apparently been eavesdropping. He spotted Dash, Kwan, Star, even Mr. Lancer poked his head out of his classroom with interest. Danny sighed – news travelled too fast at High School.

"You…what?" Paulina was seriously taken aback, but managed to recover. "Well, that doesn't really matter, does it Danny? Just dump her! A boy like you deserves the most beautiful girl at school." She sashayed forward, trying to back him against a wall. Without other means of escape, Danny went intangible and let her pass through him.

"You know, you're right!" Danny said, hiding his disgust at Paulina's blatant disregard for other people. "I _do_ deserve the most beautiful girl at school." Paulina turned from the wall and smiled widely at him.

"That's why I'm with Sam." It seemed like the air was sucked out of the hallway as the entire hallway of people took a collective gasp. Sam, who had been scowling at the edge of the crowd with Tucker, quickly turned a bright shade of red as the hallway's attention shifted directly towards her. Danny strode through the slack-jawed crowd and took her hand.

"Come on Sam, Tucker. Let's get lunch." So the three strode off towards the cafeteria, leaving a furious Paulina behind them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the delay in updating! School got really busy. I really appreciate all the good comments and criticisms! I do hope to go back and revise at some point, but for now I thought it would be better to press forward. I'll try to be quicker with the next update, which should be more exciting, heh. Thanks for your support! :) **

Sam rolled her eyes. Clearly the days of relaxing lunches with her two best friends were over. Twenty kids jockeyed for a place near Danny Phantom even though the cafeteria tables couldn't seat more than eight on a good day.

"Tell us about some of the ghosts you fought at school!"

"Is it true you battled a meat monster in the basement?"

"What color is the girl's locker room!"

Sam groaned. At least Danny had the decency to look uncomfortable. Tucker was having the time of his life! She managed to catch a bit of his conversation - with two girls she didn't recognize – over the roar of Danny's new fan club.

"Oh yeah, I was there when Danny got his powers! In fact, he probably wouldn't even have gotten them if it weren't for me. You know, now that I think about it, Danny probably couldn't have beaten _half_ the ghosts he did if it weren't for me! I remember this one time, all I did was gave some mean ol' ghost this _stare. _And he just took off! And this other time, I…"

_Gag._ Why was he encouraging them? The once-socially-invisible trio was getting enough attention as it was without Tucker throwing out wild stories left and right. Wasn't it bad enough that Danny had thought it appropriate to call her the most beautiful girl in school in front of _everyone? _

_Well, it wasn't that bad, _Sam amended, as she took a thoughtful bite of her salad. The look on Paulina's face _was_ priceless. And it _was _sweet of Danny. It was just… Sam tried to put her finger on what was bothering her. _Embarrassing._ She decided. But more than that it was… _weird._ Weird that after years of being considered a socially inept loser, now it almost seemed like people actually were looking at her like she _was_ the most beautiful girl in school.

She let out a small laugh. No, she was being silly. Only Danny would ever see her like that, and frankly, that's how she wanted it. No matter how in love she was with Danny or how much like an idiot she sometimes acted because of that, she always wanted to be the same Sam Manson. She was settling in to dedicatedly ignore the rabble around her and eat her salad, when she felt a huge presence pull up a chair and sit next to her. She dropped her fork in displeased surprise when she looked up to see the face of Dash Baxter only inches from her own.

"Hey Sam." He said, as if they hadn't always hated each other's guts. Sam could only stare at him in confusion for a moment.

"Can I help you?" She finally spat out. Her bewilderment was obvious.

"Yeah, actually you could." Dash grinned at her, earning only an even more puzzled and irritated look from Sam. Much to her chagrin, he leaned in closer before continuing.

"Look, I don't expect you to leave _Fentoad_, but if you ever want some, ya know, _fun,_ I want you to call me. Okay, babe?" Sam's jaw dropped, and she was only able to stare in horror at Dash as her brain fought over whether it would be more appropriate to dump her salad on his head or stab him with her fork.

Dash smirked, clearly misinterpreting the emotions under her blatant shock, and started scribbling on her napkin.

"Here's my number. Don't hesitate, sweetheart. You're no longer too much of a loser to be one of the lucky girls who gets a piece of Dash Baxter." He sauntered off, leaving Sam to gape after him in horror, dimly wondering why she wasn't hurling her heavy combat boots at his head. Tucker's raucous laughter was what finally startled her out of her shock.

"BAHAHAHAHA! Oh my god. _Oh my god! _Hehehehe" Tucker was laughing so hard he was practically crying. "Sam, you just got hit on by – hahaha! – by _Dash!" _He collapsed into fits of laughter loud enough to prompt Danny to poke his head out of the mob of his fans.

"What's going on guys?" Danny asked. But he wasn't heard over the unending cries of: "TELL US AGAIN DANNY!" and "WILL YOU SIGN MY FACE?"

"_Ew Ew Ew Ew Ew Ew Ew" _Sam had finally regained her power of speech. She began shredding the napkin with Dash's number on it, while Tucker tried (to no avail) to control himself.

"Ugh." Danny had had enough of being polite. After his talk with Lancer, he wasn't willing to use his ghost powers to get out of this, but he luckily he had another idea.

"HEY!" He called, projecting his "hero's voice" so the whole swarm could hear him. "Did I forget to mention that I hid a piece of… uh… autographed ghost-hunting equipment in the library? Whoever finds it can keep it!" Danny didn't even have time to blink before the whole table was deserted.

"Hey!" Tucker was finally able to recover from his laughing fit when he saw the two girls he had been bragging to run off with the rest of the crowd. "I was really starting to connect with them!"

"Yeah, it sounded like they had you in hysterics." Danny said drily as he brushed himself off. "Now will you please tell me what was so funny? And… what did that napkin do to Sam?" Tucker couldn't help it, he started snickering again.

"Dude, you MISSED it! Sam was just sitting there, right? And Dash just walks right up and – hehehehe – he just – haha! – he totally hit on her!"

"_WHAT?"_

"Bahaha! It was _beyond_ hitting on her really. He was practically propositioning her!" Tucker was practically rolling on the floor. "Ahahahaha! _Our_ Sam! –Hehehe- And _Dash?_ It's just too much!"

"Yeah, it _was_ too much. WAY too much!" Sam scattered the napkin bits on the floor and got up. "And now that I've gotten past shock, denial, and extreme nausea, I think it's time I give him a straightforward answer. My fist going straight into his face should do the trick!" She furiously rolled up her sleeve and began to stalk off, but Danny grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Hey, _I'm_ your boyfriend! Don't you think I should take care of this? You stay here."

"Danny!" She shook his arm off. "I _don't_ need you to fight my battles for me! I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, but Sam, I-" The sudden appearance of a wisp of cold blue breath made Danny stop mid-sentence. "Looks like we've got company." He looked around the deserted cafeteria suspiciously.

"Dude, I don't see anythi-" Tucker began, but was cut off by a cry from Sam.

"Gaaahhh!" A ghostly hand shot up from the floor, grabbed Sam's leg and pulled the now-intangible girl through the cafeteria floor.

"SAM!"


	5. Chapter 5

**I am so beyond sorry for the delay in updating. I won't make excuses, but I do want to thank everyone who encouraged me to keep going with this story – your messages and reviews really motivated me. Don't worry! I never intended to abandon it; it WILL be finished! I just get distracted easily… But I've got most of the plot all planned out, and it's really just a matter of finding the time to get it down on paper properly. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!**

_Great._ Thought Sam as she was yanked through the air by what appeared to be nothing more than a patch of darkness. _Kidnapped twice in one day. This is _really_ going to help Danny believe I can take care of myself._

That was all she had time to think before a voice boomed, "Shadow! To me!" and she was finally released only to be hurled into the arms of another waiting ghost – this time, one she recognized.

"Johnny 13." She spat as he pulled her roughly onto his motorbike.

"I'm…. sorry" Johnny mumbled as he settled her in front of him. "I have to." Sam was startled to see how haggard he looked up close, and his eyes were so… _sad._

_Broken._ Sam thought, the word coming to her abruptly. _He looks broken._ She found herself almost feeling bad for the biker, but quickly pushed the emotion aside and tried to force herself away from him. Shadow swooped down and shaped itself into a rope, pinning her arms to her sides. Sam struggled feebly but it was clear she wouldn't be able to throw herself off the bike as she had hoped. Johnny revved the engine as Sam searched desperately behind her for a glimpse of Danny. That Shadow had grabbed her so suddenly, and had taken such a winding path through the school at such a furious speed that she wasn't certain Danny had been able to keep up. The courtyard behind the school where Shadow had taken her was plainly deserted, and Sam began to feel the beginnings of panic gnawing at the back of her stomach.

"DANNY!" She yelled, hoping against hope that somehow he would hear her and be able to follow. Shadow quickly snaked up and covered her mouth, preventing any further exclamations, but Sam felt her panic die as she saw Danny phase through the school's back wall at last. It took a moment for him to spot them and his blazing eyes met Sam's for only an instant before the bike roared to life and began to speed away from Casper High.

Danny pursued, and Sam hoped desperately that he would be able to keep the bike in sight until Johnny reached wherever they were going. For a moment she thought he had been lost again, but then – did her eyes deceive her? – Danny actually seemed to be _gaining_ on the motorcycle.

_I didn't know he could go so fast…_ Sam thought as the bike screeched around a treacherous curve, forcing her to face front again. Wait, she _knew_ this street. Either she really was beginning to hallucinate, or they were heading towards Fenton Works.

_Why would Johnny lead Danny to his own house? _Sam was getting seriously confused. She decided to hazard another look back, and was heartened to see Danny only a few feet away. He was so close, Sam wondered why he wasn't letting loose with an ectoblast to knock the bike out from under stupid Johnny 13.

_Me._ She suddenly understood. _He's afraid he'll hurt me._ She felt a twinge of irritation. She'd rather have a few scrapes and bruises from falling off the bike than allow whatever Johnny was planning to happen to her. Danny had to stop being so overprotective!

Her thoughts were interrupted as Johnny swerved and turned his bike right at Danny's house, confirming Sam's suspicion about their destination. Johnny turned them intangible at the last moment and drove straight through the front wall of Fenton Works, and then down into the basement.

"Shadow! Open the portal!" Johnny shouted as the bike screeched to a halt.

_Of course._ Sam felt Shadow releasing her as she finally understood why Johnny had taken her here. _He wants to take me back to the ghost zone. _One of the first things Danny had done after saving the world that summer was to help his father rebuild the ghost portal in their basement. For the first time, Sam wished he hadn't.

She was about to get up and make a dash for it when Danny burst through the ceiling and charged into Johnny, smashing him into a wall just as Shadow had managed to pry open the portal doors. The dark creature gave a screech and flew over to aid its master.

"No!" Johnny shrieked at his Shadow as he struggled under Danny. "You have to take her! NOW! Leave me!" Shadow keened in agony, but obeyed. Sam tried to jump past it, but the darkness wrapped itself tightly around her legs and began to drag her towards the open portal. She clawed at the ground trying to slow their progress as Danny struggled against Johnny who was desperately trying to hold the halfa back from interfering with Shadow.

With a mighty heave, Danny pulled himself free and managed to shoot off an ecto-sphere. It was a perfect shot! Shadow lost his grip on Sam and was knocked into the ghost zone with one final wail. Johnny let out a cry and tried to leap past Danny and grab Sam himself, but the Phantom was quicker and delivered a hard kick to Johnny's stomach. The biker crashed into a table and looked up to see a furious teenager standing between him and Sam. Johnny hesitated for a moment, but the green light of a powerful ecto-attack had begun to gather at Danny's hands and Johnny knew he couldn't win. Before Danny could unleash his rage, the unlucky biker gathered up the last of his energy and dove into the ghost zone. With a sigh, Danny returned from Phantom to Fenton and shut the doors to the portal.

"What the heck was that about?" Sam asked as she got up.

"I wish I knew." He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking. Two attacks in one day was nothing new, but why were they both focused on Sam? "Let's go find Tucker. We've got a lot to discuss." He glanced at his watch, "And only 20 minutes before lunch is over and we've got to be back in class!"

* * *

><p>"So you're saying these ghosts are after Sam?" Tucker was skeptical. "I dunno guys, it would make a lot more sense for them to be after Danny, as usual. You were probably just in the way Sam."<p>

Danny opened his mouth to reply, but a wisp of blue came out instead of his retort.

"I AM THE BOX GHOST! BEWARE!" The Box Ghost flew down and threw a cardboard box at Sam's head. Danny sighed as the ghost began to feebly tug at his girlfriend's arm.

"You see?" Danny said to Tucker as he shot the Box Ghost with an ecto-sphere that sent the ghost flying far into the distance.

"Okay, you may have a point there." Tucker conceded as Sam removed the cardboard box from her head and threw it over towards a nearby recycling bin.

"Besides," Danny said "Johnny 13 told his Shadow to get Sam into the ghost zone even though he needed help. He wasn't interested in me."

"But why did he want to take Sam into the ghost zone?" Tucker was puzzled.

"Do you guys remember Skulker this morning?" Sam asked. "He caught me, but he was really interested in getting Danny. They _know_ they can hurt you through me." She took at deep breath and looked squarely at her boyfriend. "And you can't let them. You're way more important to the world than I am and you know it." She took his hands. "I want you to promise that you won't jeopardize yourself for me. Ever."

"What?! No!" Danny pulled back in surprise at the request. "Sam, I try to be a hero so I can protect the people who are important to me. How can you ask me not to fight for you?"

"I'm not worth it!" She yelled.

"You are." He said firmly. Sam looked away in irritation but Danny took her chin and turned her face back towards him. "You _are_ worth it. Nothing you can say will make me change my mind." The anger in her eyes softened. She wasn't happy, he knew, but at least she seemed resigned.

"Besides," Tucker cut in, "I'm not convinced, Sam. You've been Danny's girlfriend for months. Why would the ghosts decide to go after you now? _And_ Danny's got a mom, a dad, a sister, an awesome best bud," he gestured at himself with a grin. "Heck, Danny would put himself in danger for _Mr. Lancer_ if the guy was in trouble. Why would everyone suddenly choose you as 'hostage-of-the-year?'"

"Yeah!" Danny was eager to get Sam away from her previous theory. "And it seems weird that _everyone_ has the same plan. I mean did Skulker _and_ the Box Ghost really wake up this morning and think 'boy, revenge sounds good today!' And then decide to go after you to hurt me? Unlikely."

"Then _what_ is going on?" Sam asked, out of ideas. Before anyone could hazard another theory, the bell rang. The trio exchanged a look and bolted into the school.

_Late again._


End file.
